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The Seven Deadly Chess Sins
Everyone loses chess games occasionally, but all too often we lose a game due to moves that, deep down, we knew were flawed. Why do we commit these chess-board sins? Are they the result of general misconceptions about chess and how it should be played? And how can we recognize the warning signs better?
In this thought-provoking and entertaining book, Jonathan Rowson investigates, in his inimitable style, the main reasons why chess-players sometimes go horribly astray, focusing on the underlying psychological
* Thinking (unnecessary or erroneous)
* Blinking (missing opportunities; lack of resolution)
* Wanting (too much concern with the result of the game)
* Materialism (lack of attention to non-material factors)
* Egoism (insufficient awareness of the opponent and his ideas)
* Perfectionism (running short of time; trying too hard)
* Looseness (“losing the plot”; drifting; poor concentration)
In this thought-provoking and entertaining book, Jonathan Rowson investigates, in his inimitable style, the main reasons why chess-players sometimes go horribly astray, focusing on the underlying psychological
* Thinking (unnecessary or erroneous)
* Blinking (missing opportunities; lack of resolution)
* Wanting (too much concern with the result of the game)
* Materialism (lack of attention to non-material factors)
* Egoism (insufficient awareness of the opponent and his ideas)
* Perfectionism (running short of time; trying too hard)
* Looseness (“losing the plot”; drifting; poor concentration)
208 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2000
About the author
Jonathan Rowson
22 books51 followersJonathan Rowson is a Scottish chess player and philosopher. He is a three-time British chess champion and was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1999. As Director of the Social Brain Centre at the United Kingdom's Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), he authored numerous research reports on behavior change, climate change, and spirituality. He was awarded an Open Society Fellowship in 2018 by the Open Society Foundations. He now works as an intellectual entrepreneur and civil society leader as co-founder and Chief Executive of Perspectiva.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 4, 2010
A fascinating analysis of the seven “most common causes of disaster in chess”, Grandmaster Jonathan Rowson’s book, “The Seven Deadly Chess Sins” provides virtually inexhaustible material to provoke thought and study for the serious player.
As a beginner/improver whose ratings bumble around the 1000 mark and who rarely has the patience to play through worked examples, 50% of this book was beyond me. However, it will be returned to over and again in the future and there is enough to fascinate and provoke at any level. Rowson analyses both the psychological and practical outworking of each of the “sins”.
The book is divided into seven sections dealing with problems that are loosely tied to the traditional “Seven Deadly Sins” (Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed, and Sloth).
Thinking – sometimes there is too much of this.
Blinking – lapses of attention that cost too dearly.
Wanting – being too focused on the result.
Materialism – thinking too much in terms of material.
Egoism – missing your opponent’s point of view.
Perfectionism – taking too much time.
Looseness – failing to maintain a grip on the game in front of you.
Each chapter begins with a discussion of the more conceptual and psychological aspects of the game. How does your personality affect your play? What do you see when you look at the board? Is it possible to be objective? How does the Chess Mind work? Are you too attached to certain lines? What is really going on? The discussion is delightfully buoyed up by quotes from Grandmasters and diverse sources such as Kierkegaard, Sartre, De Bono, and the I-Ching. There is a wonderful sense here that Chess is about life and who you are that has much wider implications. This is what really excites me about the game and it blew my mind open to new possibilities and taught me a lot about myself.
The second part of each chapter is given to the worked examples drawn from historic and lesser known matches of over 60 different players. Here Rowson’s encyclopedic breadth of detail guides the reader through the trips and turns that demonstrate each “sin” on the board.
Every chapter is worthy of at least a year’s study and application and it is small wonder it took me a few months to plough through it all. The reader never feels patronised or dictated to as the author has a way of presenting ideas in a way that encourages them to mature and stand on their own feet; to explore and develop through shedding the kind of formulaic mantras that all of us tend to have absorbed. It’s like coming under the tutelage of a Zen master.
This book will remain close to hand, a challenging resource for a lifetime of learning.
As a beginner/improver whose ratings bumble around the 1000 mark and who rarely has the patience to play through worked examples, 50% of this book was beyond me. However, it will be returned to over and again in the future and there is enough to fascinate and provoke at any level. Rowson analyses both the psychological and practical outworking of each of the “sins”.
The book is divided into seven sections dealing with problems that are loosely tied to the traditional “Seven Deadly Sins” (Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Anger, Greed, and Sloth).
Thinking – sometimes there is too much of this.
Blinking – lapses of attention that cost too dearly.
Wanting – being too focused on the result.
Materialism – thinking too much in terms of material.
Egoism – missing your opponent’s point of view.
Perfectionism – taking too much time.
Looseness – failing to maintain a grip on the game in front of you.
Each chapter begins with a discussion of the more conceptual and psychological aspects of the game. How does your personality affect your play? What do you see when you look at the board? Is it possible to be objective? How does the Chess Mind work? Are you too attached to certain lines? What is really going on? The discussion is delightfully buoyed up by quotes from Grandmasters and diverse sources such as Kierkegaard, Sartre, De Bono, and the I-Ching. There is a wonderful sense here that Chess is about life and who you are that has much wider implications. This is what really excites me about the game and it blew my mind open to new possibilities and taught me a lot about myself.
The second part of each chapter is given to the worked examples drawn from historic and lesser known matches of over 60 different players. Here Rowson’s encyclopedic breadth of detail guides the reader through the trips and turns that demonstrate each “sin” on the board.
Every chapter is worthy of at least a year’s study and application and it is small wonder it took me a few months to plough through it all. The reader never feels patronised or dictated to as the author has a way of presenting ideas in a way that encourages them to mature and stand on their own feet; to explore and develop through shedding the kind of formulaic mantras that all of us tend to have absorbed. It’s like coming under the tutelage of a Zen master.
This book will remain close to hand, a challenging resource for a lifetime of learning.
September 6, 2026
Rating 4,5. One of the most insightful chess books I’ve read. Rowson’s central idea is that many chess mistakes are not caused by a lack of knowledge, but by flawed thinking and decision-making.
The seven “deadly sins” — Thinking, Blinking, Wanting, Materialism, Egoism, Perfectionism and Looseness — offer a powerful framework for understanding why strong players sometimes make surprisingly weak decisions.
My favorite ideas are the emphasis on noticing what has changed after every opponent’s move, resisting the urge to force results, looking beyond material, and above all thinking about the opponent’s possibilities rather than becoming absorbed in your own plans.
This is not really a book about moves or opening theory. It is about how we think when we play chess. That makes it highly complementary to more traditional classics on calculation, strategy and endgames.
A book to read slowly, reflect on, play with, and return to. High rating for timelessness because this is psychological analysis behind mistakes in chess.
The seven deadly chess sins - Jonathan Rowson
Depth: 5
Practical value: 4
Timelessness: 5
Frequency of use: 4
Total
4,5
The seven “deadly sins” — Thinking, Blinking, Wanting, Materialism, Egoism, Perfectionism and Looseness — offer a powerful framework for understanding why strong players sometimes make surprisingly weak decisions.
My favorite ideas are the emphasis on noticing what has changed after every opponent’s move, resisting the urge to force results, looking beyond material, and above all thinking about the opponent’s possibilities rather than becoming absorbed in your own plans.
This is not really a book about moves or opening theory. It is about how we think when we play chess. That makes it highly complementary to more traditional classics on calculation, strategy and endgames.
A book to read slowly, reflect on, play with, and return to. High rating for timelessness because this is psychological analysis behind mistakes in chess.
The seven deadly chess sins - Jonathan Rowson
Depth: 5
Practical value: 4
Timelessness: 5
Frequency of use: 4
Total
4,5
April 13, 2021
This was highly recommended by Daniel Naroditsky as an excellent book on chess psychology and, while I don’t have many other books to compare it to, it was a tremendously helpful dive into the mindset of chess players; why they make the mistakes they do, why the prefer the positions they do, and what kind of mistakes happen in certain scenarios and why.
Whilst I think some of his analogy goes wild at times I can’t really fault it as a book that helps people understand why they lose chess games. If you want to improve your chess you have to learn to ‘not lose’ before you learn how to win - if this is what you want from a book I can’t fault it. 5 stars it is
Whilst I think some of his analogy goes wild at times I can’t really fault it as a book that helps people understand why they lose chess games. If you want to improve your chess you have to learn to ‘not lose’ before you learn how to win - if this is what you want from a book I can’t fault it. 5 stars it is
December 25, 2020
'Düşünme'nin bir numaralı satranç günahı olduğunu iddia eden bir büyükusta var karşımızda! Muhteşem bir üslup; Samuel Beckett'ten Mevlana'ya, Zen ve Motosiklet Bakım Sanatı'ndan Gödel, Escher, Bach'a geniş yelpazeli referanslarıyla standart bir satranç kitabından çok daha fazlası olan orgazmik bir başyapıt!
February 9, 2015
Every chess player under 2300 should read.
October 4, 2020
A diverse, thoughtful, intense, good humored look at chess from a very personal perspective. In some ways this is a collection of observations about competitive chess loosely grouped under seven categories. Many of the games are the author's own. Some times the writing gets a bit more abstract than I can handle and the different sins run together in my mind. They aren't always clearly divisible by Rowson's own admission. But this complaint is easily overlooked given how careful Rowson is to offer pithy practical tips and summaries to each chapter.
Very entertaining and a useful invitation to reflect on our own sins as chess players. I recognize all of them in my play!
Very entertaining and a useful invitation to reflect on our own sins as chess players. I recognize all of them in my play!
January 24, 2024
This is for 'serious' chess players wishing to improve themselves. I'm not sure it will help me get better results but it's an entertaining and interesting read which gives psychological and practical tips to overcome 'typical' problems players suffer from.
December 21, 2021
Muy recomendable para todo ajedrecista que quiera mejorar
April 23, 2009
read and skimmed - pretty good foundational overview of conceptual mistakes...
Want to Read
September 23, 2013ILL
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews